Opportunities for Internet of Things (IoT) Adoption in Construction Demolition Waste Management in Developing Nations: Professionals’ Perspectives

The construction industry in developing nations faces significant challenges in managing construction demolition waste (CDW). This leads to environmental degradation, resource depletion, and inefficiencies in material recovery. IoT presents a transformative opportunity to optimise CDW management. Hence, this study explores the opportunities for IoT adoption in CDW management within developing nations. This highlights its potential to enhance waste traceability, recycling efficiency, and circular economy implementation. The study adopted a survey methodology, distributing 172 questionnaires to participants. One hundred forty-eight responses were received and deemed suitable for analysis. The data collected were examined using multiple statistical techniques. These techniques include percentages, mean item scores, standard deviation, one-sample t-tests, and Kruskal-Wallis tests. This was done to ensure a comprehensive assessment. The findings reveal that predictive analytics for waste generation and management is the most significant opportunity for IoT adoption. In addition, other significant opportunities include automated waste sorting using AI and IoT sensors, real-time waste tracking and monitoring, digital marketplaces for secondary construction materials, smart bins and containers for waste collection optimization, integration of IoT with BIM for waste reduction, and smart sensors for hazardous waste detection. These IoT-driven innovations can significantly improve waste traceability, recycling efficiency, and material recovery. This will reduce the environmental impact of demolition activities and promote a more sustainable construction industry. However, there might be challenges towards IoT adoption in developing countries. These challenges might require collaborative efforts between governments, private sector stakeholders, and technology providers to develop cost-effective IoT solutions, supportive policies, and capacity-building initiatives to overcome. Hence, future studies could focus on scalable and context-specific IoT applications, the economic feasibility of IoT-driven waste management systems, and policy interventions that can accelerate adoption in developing nations.